Joe Greene Movies

The old axiom "Everything old is new again" was seldom truer than on February 17, 1997, when the Monkees, the four mop-topped Beatles clones who starred in their own popular musical-comedy series of the 1960s, were reunited in the 60-minute special Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees. Returning for more monkeyshines (albeit the middle-aged variety) were Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Michael Nesmith, who also wrote and directed the special. The fragmentary storyline finds the Monkees re-forming the act after thirty years, then preparing to perform at a posh country club. Of the supporting cast, only Chuck Woolery, who plays the boys' manager,and footballer Joe Greene, playing a security guard, could be described as "name" performers. The musical highlights include the theme song for the original Monkees' series, as well as "You and I", "Circle Sky", "Antarctica", "Regional Girl", and a closing medley of Monkees' hits. Telecast in stereo, Hey, Hey It's the Monkees originally aired on February 17, 1997, as a lead-in to ABC's coverage of the 11th annual American Comedy Awards. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This stylish and very entertaining blend of the horror and "Blaxploitation" genres takes some creative risks on a seriously limited budget but manages to deliver the gory goods. The story begins in New Orleans in the mid-1940s, with black crime kingpin J.D. Walker (David McKnight) shot dead on Bourbon Street. Flash forward to the present, when clean-cut college student Ike (Cooley High's Glynn E. Turman) falls under the malevolent influence of the ghostly gangster. As he begins to exhibit J.D.'s boisterous, violent traits, Ike seeks out a local minister (Louis Gossett, Jr., in a standout performance) -- who had once played a role in the gangster's execution -- to exact his revenge. This cult favorite has seen a revival of sorts on home video and primarily remains in the public eye due to the novelty value of its soundtrack: all songs are performed by the artist soon to be known as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince -- who also supplies the vocal for " Will Never Let You Go". ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In this crime drama, a Vietnam vet goes to his California hometown and discovers that two Mexicans have murdered his brother, the chief stockholder in a successful racetrack, during a robbery. The vet begins investigating and discovers that the theft was a cover-up for the killing and that another shareholder is behind it all. The vet then engineers a confession from the culprit. Unfortunately, the shareholder is then found dead. Enlisting the aid of an ex-lover, the vet resumes his investigation and soon finds the mastermind, whom he kills during a fight. Later the vet, being the only remaining shareholder, takes over the track. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Actor Don Murray wrote, produced, and starred in this drama about an alcoholic former serviceman who falls in with gangsters until he has a spiritual awakening and decides to devote his life to helping others. The supporting cast includes Linda Evans, Logan Ramsey, and Angelique Pettyjohn. Also shown under the titles Childish Things, Tale of the Cock, and Cockadoodle-Do. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This amusingly weird, painfully threadbare production pits a town of lethargic ex-hippie parents against their own offspring, who have been transformed into pasty-faced zombies (with cute little black fingernails) after their school bus passes through a cloud of radioactive fallout from a nearby nuclear plant. The kids' condition makes it difficult to for their deadbeat parents to reach out to them, thanks to their newly-acquired tendency to turn everyone they touch into an overcooked brisket in two seconds flat. In keeping with zombie-movie rules of engagement (as established in Night of the Living Dead), the bodies begin piling up before the nominal hero (local sheriff Gil Rogers) arrives at an effective zombie-killing method -- which in this case involves cutting off the children's hands. The most entertaining moments in this cheap and silly film come from its painfully bad attempts at horror and -- even more laughable -- social commentary. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In this psychedelic exploitation comedy, an air-headed bombshell of an actress is sent to a rest home by her producer. This facility is managed by a psycho shrink who slips acid to his patients and listens to their darkest fantasies. Among his other victims are an effete fashion designer, a movie star, a midget, a writer, an obese woman, and the man who made the film, Albert Zugsmith. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide